Trigger mechanism for drop-down guns or rifles.



No. 781,915. PATENTED FEB. '7, 1905.

J. W. SMALLMAN. I TRIGGER MECHANISM FOR DROP-DOWN GUNS 0R. RIFLES.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.13, 1898.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WIT/VESSFS 76/! h! INVENTOR: My 4441M. mmm MM J. w." SMALLMAN. TRIGGERMECHANISM FOR DROP-DOWN GUNS 0R RIFLES.

APPLICATION FILED DEOJB, 1898.

PATENTED FEB. 7, 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FAY/75158555 No. 781,915. PATBNTED FEB. 7, 1905.

' J. W. SMALLMAN.

TRIGGER MECHANISM FUR DROP-DOWN GUNS 0R RIFLES. APPLICATION 311.12!)1330.13, 1808.

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lar view of the left trigger.

UNTTEE STATES Patented February *7, 1905.

PATENT @FFICE.

JAMES W. SMALLMAN, OF CAMP HILL GRANGE, NEAR NUNEATON, ENGLAND.

TRIGGER MECHANISM FOR DROP-=DOWN GUNS OR RIFLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 781,915, dated February7, 1905.

Application filed December 18, 1898. Serial No. 699,134.

To tZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES WILLIAM SMALL- MAN, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain and Ireland, residing at Camp Hill Grange, near Nuneaton.in the county of Warwick, England, have invented new and useful TriggerMechanism for Drop-Down Guns or Rifles, (in respect whereof I haveobtained a patent in Great Britain, No. 11,342, dated May 18, 1898,) ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the trigger mechanism of double-barreldrop-down hammer or hammerless guns and rifles.

The accompanying drawings illustrate, 'by way of example, those parts ofa double-harrel side-lock hammerless sporting-gun that embody myinvention, the parts of the gun which are omitted presenting no featureof novelty.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the triggerplate with the triggers,which are in their normal positions, the trigger-spring and thetrigger-actuating lever, the sear-tail of the right lock, the tumblerand sear of the left lock, anda portion of the safety-bolt being alsoshown. Fig. 2 is a plan of the triggerplate with the triggers, thetrigger-spring, and the trigger-actuating lever, both sears being Fig. 3corresponds with Fig. 1 except that the right trigger is in its extremebackward position and the left tumbler is omitted. In Fig. 1 the righttrigger is in its advanced or extreme forward position, the

left trigger remaining in the position it o'ccupies in Figs. 1 and 3.Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the right tumbler, scar, and searspring.Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the trigger-actuating lever. Fig. 7 is aplan corresponding with Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the righttrigger. Fig. 9 is a simi- In Fig. 10 the trigger-actuating lever ispivoted to the trigger-blade instead of to the trigger-plate. Fig. 11 isa side elevation of the trigger-actuating lever illustrated in thepreceding figure. Fig. 12 is a plan corresponding with Fig. 11. Fig. 13shows a trigger-spring upon which the right sear-tail acts directly incausing the right trigger to advance. In Fig. 14: the right sear-tailhaving overpowered the right arm of the split trigger-spring has causedthe right trigger to advance into its extreme forward position. In Fig.15 is represented a springactuated slide which when the right trigger isreleased after the firing of the right barrel causes that trigger toadvance. In Fig. 16 the right trigger has been released and then takenby the slide into its advanced position. Fig. 17 is a side elevation ofthe slide. Fig. 18 is a side elevation of the right trigger pertainingto the construction illustrated in Figs. 15 and 16.

In ordinary double-barrel drop-down guns and rifles the two triggers areplaced far enough apart to permit the finger to be inserted betweenthem. This distance is so great that after the finger has pulled onetrigger to fire the first barrel it is found advantageous to move thehand until the finger has been brought into a convenient position forpulling the other trigger to fire the second barrel.

The object of my present invention is to so construct a double-barrelgun or rifle with two triggers that the grasp of the stock may beadvantageously maintained after the pulling of the first trigger, and Iaccomplish this by arranging the two triggers very near together andcausing the first trigger after it has been pulled to advance so as toleave sufficient space between the two triggers to permit the finger tobe readily inserted and pressed against the second trigger.

In carrying out my invention I prefer to employ a lever pivoted to thetrigger-plate. The forward end of the lever engages with the firsttrigger-blade. The firstsear-tail lies just above the lever when thefirst lockis cocked. The tumbler of the first lock is so shaped thatwhen said lock is released the first sear-tail, under the influence ofthe searspring, can press upon the lever and cause the trigger toadvance. The two triggers are placed so near together that when thefirst trigger is pulled, back into its extreme position it nearlytouches the second trigger. I may utilize a trigger-spring for bringingabout the separation of the triggers. When the first lock is cocked, thetrigger-spring presses the first trigger up to the first seartail; butwhen said lock is released that seartail comes into a lower position andby pressing down the trigger-spring causes said trigger to advance. Thesecond barrel can be fired first, when there is time for the finger topush the first trigger forward prior to pulling the second trigger.

I do not limit myself to any particular mechanism for causing the firsttrigger to advance after the release of the first look, as this end canbe accomplished in various ways. For instance. a slide taken back by thesafetybolt and held back by the first sear-tail can, while movingforward after the release of the first lock, turn the first trigger intoits advanced position.

A is a lever pivoted on a pin 6 to the trigger-plate B.

G is the right and D the left trigger. Both triggers are pivoted on thepin B E is the ordinary split trigger-spring. The

two arms of this spring are marked a and e.

The spur a, Fig. 7, on the forward end of the lever A enters a hole inthe triggerblade 0. A spur at the forward end of the arm 6 also entersthe hole 0. The spur (Z bears against the lower surface and the spur onthe arm (2 against the upper surface of said hole. A spur at the end ofthe arm enters a hole in the trigger-blade d.

F is the right sear. The right sear-tailf before the lock is releasedlies just above the lever A.

f is the right sear-nose.

G is the left sear.

g is the left sear-tail, and g the left searnose.

H is the right tumbler, which turns about the axis 7b.

K is the left tumbler, and 7c the axis about which it turns.

When the tumblers H and K are cocked, the sear-tails f and g are at thesame level, the radius of the are 0 being equal to the radius of the arcy The point x is nearer than the are m to the axis h. Consequently whenthe tumbler H falls the sear F (under the pressure of the sear-spring Fturns beyond its .normal position. The tumbler H is shown in its fallenposition in full lines and in its cocked position in broken lines, thecorresponding positions of the sear F being also shown in full andbroken lines. The tumbler K is formed in the usual way with the point 1/at the same distance as the arc y from the axis is. lonsequently whenthat tumbler is in its fallen position the sear-tail 9 lies at the samelevel as it does when said tumbler is cocked. A stop 0 on the trigger Cbeds against the triggerplate B when said trigger is in its extremebackward position, thus preventing that trigger from being pulledagainst the trigger D. (If preferred, the safety-boltR may be utilizedas a stop for the trigger C.) When the trigger C after being pulled hasbeen released, the sear-tail f, under the influence of the searspring Fpresses upon the lever A and forces that lever to turn very slightlyabout the pin Z), depressing the spur a, and thereby causing the triggerC to advance. On comparing Fig. 1 with Fig. l it will be seen that afterthe automatic advance of the right trigger there is considerably morespace between the triggers than there was originally.

The lever A, Figs. 10 to 12, is pivoted on a pin 0, screwed into thetrigger-blade c, the fulcrum a of said lever resting behind the triggerC on the trigger-plate B. The left trigger (not shown in Fig. 10) islike the one previously illustrated. The action of the lever A differsfrom that of the lever A in no essential respect. The extremity of thepin 0 may protrude into the space between the trigger-blades for the endof the right arm of the trigger-spring to bear against, a spur at theend of the left arm of the trigger-spring engaging, as usual, in a holein the left trigger-blade.

The trigger-spring L, Figs. 13 and 14., has two arms Z and Z, that lieclose to the seartails. (The exact shape of the arm Z is immaterial, asthat arm performs no function beyond the ordinary one of holding thetrigger-blade (Z against the left sear-tail.) It is essential for thearm Z to touch or lie close to the sear-tail f, so that when the rightlock has been released said sear-tail can under the influence of thesear-spring press down said arm Z, taking the spur on the end of thatarm away from the upper surface of the hole in the trigger-blade c andbringing it against the lower surface of said hole, thereby causing thetrigger C to advance. The arm Z lies on the right side of thetrigger-blade c and the arm Z between the trigger-blades.

The left barrel can be fired first when there is time for the finger topush the trigger G forward prior to pulling the trigger D. Only a slightforward pressure on the trigger C is necessary, because the arm of thetriggerspring, that keeps said trigger up to the seartail F, does notoffer much resistance. When firing the left barrel first, said arm ofthe trigger-spring keeps the back of the trigger C against the finger,and directly the finger is withdrawn from between the triggers thetrigger C resumes its normal position, being therefore instantlyavailable for firing the right barrel.

The mechanism described above is less complicated than single-triggermechanism and does not require an extra limb to be operated before theorder in which the barrels are fired can be reversed.

The slide N, Figs. 15 to 17, lies between the trigger-blades and has aspur n, that enters a slot p in the trigger C. The tail a of the slideis surrounded by a spiral spring inwhen the right tumbler is down.

closed in a barrel 0, screwed to the triggerplate B. The slide also hastwo projections n and n. When after firing the right barrel the gun isopened, the safety-bolt R is actuated in the usual way and (bearingagainst the projection n) takes back the slide N to its normal position.The right sear-tail f lies just above the path of the projection 71"(The right tumbler employed in this construction has the point thatcorresponds with the point 00, Fig. 5, farther from the axis in than theare m.) Directly the right tumbler is cocked the right sear-nose snapsinto bent and the sear-tail f" falls in front of the projection n. Whenin order to free the triggers the safety-bolt R is moved forward by thethumb-piece, the projection n goes up to the sear-tail f' which thenholds back the slide N against the pressure of the spiral spring. (Theworking of this mechanism so far will be readily understood by thosefamiliar with single-trigger mechanisms.) After the right lock has beenreleased and the finger removed from the right trigger, inasmuch as thesear-tail f is held by the right tumbler clear of the projection n andthe projection 71/ is free to follow the safety-bolt R, the slide Nadvances and the spur n, pressing against the front end of the slot 0,turns the trigger G into its advanced position. The slot n permits thetrigger G to be pressed forward for the purpose of enabling the leftbarrel to be fired first. As the slide N occupies the space between thetrigger-blades commonly allotted. to the split trigger-spring, twoseparate trigger-springs (not shown) placed outside the trigger-bladesare used in this construction.

The mechanism illustrated in Figs. 15 to 18, though perfectly sound andstrong, is comparatively complicated, but is given as a specimen of whatcomes within the scope of the present invention.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In double-barrel drop-down guns and rifles having two triggers, thesebeing arranged near together, the combination, with the first triggerand the first lock, of means for causing said trigger (after the firingof the first barrel) to advance far enough to leave suflicient space forenabling the finger to be readily pressed against the second trigger,substantially as set forth.

2. In double-barreldrop-down guns and rifles having two triggers, thesebeing arranged near together, the combination, with the first trigger,and the tumbler, the sear and the sear-spring of the first lock, of alever upon which (after the firing of the first barrel) that sear actsso as to cause said trigger to advance and leave suificient space forenabling the finger to be readily pressed against the second trigger,substantially as set forth.

JAMES W. SMALLMAN. Witnesses:

R. SMALLMAN, A. (J. HUDsoN.

